


Powder Blue

by mydomaindopeman



Category: Free!
Genre: (at least for a while...), Hanahaki Disease, High School, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 17:11:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6574813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydomaindopeman/pseuds/mydomaindopeman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haru has suffered from Hanahaki Disease since Rin moved back to Australia. This means that he ritually coughs up petals whenever he is reminded of his feelings for the boy who left without ever loving him. It's the day of graduation and Nagisa has arranged a surprise for Haru. This forces Haru to confront his disease and to confess his secret before it's too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Morning of Graduation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's pretend they're all in the same school year heh

Nanase Haruka woke up to his alarm at 7am on the morning of his graduation. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he slowly got out of bed and made his way to the washroom. He softly dropped to his knees while raising the lid of the toilet in a swift, elegant motion. It was as though he had perfected the action. Immediately, the powder blue petals began to fall from his mouth into the water of the bowl, just like every other morning since the day Rin left.

 

* * *

 

“Haru-chan!” Nagisa yelled, throwing himself through Haru’s kitchen door and into the unwilling arms of the boy himself. Makoto followed.

“Good morning, Nagisa.” Haru replied, characteristically void of emotion.

“Are you excited, Haru-chan? Today is our graduation ceremony!” He continued, as though this was news to the others.

Makoto responded when Haru failed to. “Yeah… Nagisa has been pretty hyped about this all morning… Just be glad I didn’t let him get the soda he wanted at the convenience store on the way here…” Laughing nervously, Makoto scratched his slightly tilted head.

Haru’s eyes flitted to the bottle in Nagisa’s hand. Water. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously before turning back to his frying pan of mackerel.

“Just wait, Haru-chan.” Nagisa spoke suggestively, “we’ve got something that’s sure to get you excited.”

Haru did not respond but Makoto noticed his shoulders tensing up as he continued to fry the fish. Nagisa continued his one sided chatter while Haru ate breakfast and dressed. They left for school a little before 8.

 

* * *

 

Gou was waiting for the trio at the school gates. She balanced on her heels, rocking back and forth slightly as she stared into the sky. She almost failed to notice when the boys from the swim club walked by.

“Good morning!” Nagisa bounded up to Gou like a puppy. He still looked so childlike and innocent, nobody would believe that he was about to graduate high school. Gou snapped back into consciousness and greeted Nagisa and Makoto before looking suspiciously at Haru.

“What’s he doing here?” She whispered hurriedly, taking Nagisa away from the others. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay! As long as Rin-chan isn’t anywhere nearby we’ll be fi-”

“Rin?” Haru’s interest piqued, “what about Rin?” He coughed a little as he walked towards the pair of scheming students. The two began to run toward the school building, giggling hysterically. Feeling a petal catch in the back of his throat, Haru decided it best not to pursue this any further. He swallowed deeply and turned back to an uncomfortable looking Makoto. They silently proceeded into the school grounds together to prepare for the ceremony.


	2. Shark Bait

As the graduation ceremony came to a close, the former students began to flood out into the school yard where they would hug each other and reminisce about their time at Iwatobi High.

"R-rei-chan! I'm going to m-miss you..." Nagisa's uncontrolled sobbing earned more than just the attention of his best friend and fellow high school graduate. Rei looked around uncomfortably, noticing the stares the pair were receiving from their peers.

"Nagisa, this isn't the last time we're going to see each other, you know?" Rei pushed his glasses further up his nose as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"Well I'm glad that's over," Makoto laughed as he walked towards the two emotional boys, accompanied by Haru.

"Mako-chan!" Nagisa lunged towards Makoto and sobbed into the breast of the boy’s school jacket.

Gou had disappeared as soon as the ceremony was over and Haru noticed this. The uncomfortable presence of the petal still lingered at the back of his throat. He fiddled nervously with the top button of his blazer as he surveyed the school yard.

“Haru-chan, aren’t you sad?” Nagisa wailed. Haru did not respond.

“Uh, Nagisa…” Makoto tried, “maybe we should go take him to see Gou now?” He coughed suggestively at the mention of Gou’s name.

Suddenly Nagisa perked up. He winked at Makoto before rushing to Haru and gripping both of the boy’s hands together in his.

“Let’s go to the pool!” Nagisa smiled widely as he led Haru away from the graduation celebrations. Makoto and Rei followed a few steps behind.

 

* * *

 

Fallen cherry blossom petals floated on the surface of the pool, giving the illusion that water was a soft pink colour. It subtly reflected the spring sunlight, brightening the poolside and creating a peaceful atmosphere for the new high school graduates

Nagisa blindfolded Haru with his hands as Makoto led the unassuming swimmer into the gated area surrounding the pool. He could feel Haru’s hand begin to sweat a little as they approached the two red-headed siblings sitting to the right of the pool, directly under an overhanging cherry blossom tree.

“Are you ready for your surprise, Haru-chan?” Nagisa asked, his voice audibly bursting in anticipation. Haru swallowed deeply in response. Nagisa’s hands vacated Haru’s field of vision and his surroundings became clear.

Before he noticed the large cherry blossom tree, the pink pool, or the ethereal light it emitted, Haru’s gaze was drawn directly to Rin. His blue eyes swirled frantically with emotion, though his body was rendered incapable of movement. Rin smiled, exposing his slightly pointed teeth, which seemed to sparkle upon exposure to the gentle light of their surroundings.

“Congrats on graduating,” Rin announced. “They wouldn’t let me into the ceremony but I figured it would be more fitting to congratulate you here…” His words trailed off into near silence as his pale complexion began to saturate with colour. His smile turned into a nervous one as he approached Haru, who still found himself frozen in place a couple of meters away.

“I think we should leave…” Rei suggested, reading the situation. Nagisa gave him a disappointed frown, but followed his taller friend out of the pool area anyway. Makoto and Gou had already retreated to the exit and were smiling knowingly as their two friends joined them in leaving.

“Haru,” Rin breathed as he embraced the boy for the first time in months, “I’m so sorry.”

Haru, slightly bemused, finally began to ease up a little. “Sorry… for what?”

“For leaving.” He replied bluntly.

“For leaving…” Haru repeated softly, as though he had to utter the words himself to make sense of them. There was so much he wanted to say, but he knew he couldn’t. The ever-present petals were surfacing again at the back of his throat. He fought the urge to cough. If he exposed his disease, it would be game over. Everything would be out in the open. The relationship between the two boys would become even more complex than it already was.

If he slipped up, even a little, Haru would be confessing his feelings for Rin and both would be made painfully aware of the fact that this love was unrequited.


End file.
